Columbus Recycling Resources and Laws

Written by Frog Hauling on March 5, 2021. Posted in Central Ohio, Columbus, Dumpster Blog, Junk Removal, Recycling Columbus, Waste Management.

Since 2012, Columbus’s recycling program has made a significant impact on preventing recyclable or reusable materials from reaching the landfill, but that’s not to say it hasn’t come with its own set of challenges. In fact, there is an industry-wide problem that’s been wreaking havoc on how we prevent waste. That being said, you’ll be glad to know that there are very easy, small adjustments we as Columbus citizens can make to ensure we aren’t adding to the problem.

Tackling the Trash Problem In Columbus Recycling Facilities

Diverting up to nearly 4,800 tons of recyclable material from the landfill in a single year, RecyColumbus extends beyond the limits of I-270, a notably sized program. So you can imagine that, although there are convenient guidelines available through the program, the program is met with an overwhelming amount of non-collectable items and non-recyclable trash ending up in recycling bins.

Not only does this make the entire system less efficient, it also causes recycling center equipment to jam up or break down. Plastic bags, wires, hoses and the like can work their way through belts and into joints of machinery, resulting in major damage while the addition of broken glass and flammable containers also can present a danger to employees having to pick out inappropriate items by hand.

Contaminated materials and unwashed food containers present several other problems. Greasy pizza boxes, unwashed sour cream containers, and more can attract pests and rodents as well as cause unsanitary working conditions while spoiling the remaining load of materials, causing the materials to be rejected by the recycling facility.

When these contaminated items are rejected they have to be shipped to the landfill, creating an additional environmental impact by doubling the shipment it would have taken if the items were disposed of properly, from the start.

Best Ways to Recycle in Columbus OH

columbus ohio recycling rules laws drop off locations

Know the rules, what items can be recycled and how to handle them
Stay updated on changes to these rules
Prepare and clean materials correctly
Reduce and reuse in addition to recycling
Do not place items in plastic bags unless by specific instruction by area guidelines
Remove non-recyclable parts of items such as lids, wrappers, and other packaging
Know your area’s drop off locations for materials that are not handled, such as hazardous waste, E-waste, appliances, etc. (more on this, below)

Columbus Ohio Recycling Rules and Laws

Recycling laws vary for every city. But as for Columbus, everyone who is serviced by city trash with a 90 or 300 gallon container also receives free recycling collection. Those who live in a complex or who have otherwise opted out of the program can use SWACO.

For those receiving free collection, recyclables do not need to be sorted – all recyclable materials simply go in the blue cart together, though free of debris or food contamination. In Columbus, any lids, labels, and caps can remain on containers, however our area’s recycling program can only take plastics such as jugs or bottles, so no take-out containers or sour cream containers. Here are some easy-to-follow guidelines, as per the City of Columbus website.

Accepted Recycling Items in Columbus:

Plastic jugs or bottles
Steel and aluminum cans with lids
Newspaper, magazines, paper mail, dry food boxes, telephone books
Glass jars and bottles
Drink cartons and boxes from milk and juice
Flattened pizza boxes (free of grease)
Flattened cardboard boxes
Shredded paper contained in a clear plastic bag
Items Not Accepted by Columbus Recycling:
Regular garbage
Yard waste
Garbage bags or plastic bags
Food
Plastic shopping bags
Styrofoam
Needles, syringes, and sharp objects
Electronics or light bulbs
Mirrors or window glass
Ceramics
Plastic buckets
Hazardous materials such as batteries, motor oil, cleaning products, chemicals, pesticides, and gasoline

Drop Off Locations for Recycling and Non-Recyclable Materials

Using another service or need a place to drop off your non-recyclables in the area? Find a drop-off site near you for just about anything from recyclables, to hazardous waste, appliances and yard waste with this convenient search tool from SWACO. They’ve made it incredibly simple and comprehensive for you to just select the category of material and discover various options by organized listings or map.

Looking to get rid of a lot of junk in Columbus?

Contact Frog Hauling today by filling out our form or calling (614) 258-3764!

National Spring Cleaning Day, March 21 2020

Written by Frog Hauling on March 24, 2020. Posted in Clean Up Columbus OH, Dumpster Blog.

This past Saturday, March 21st ought to be dubbed the new National Spring Cleaning Holiday. With Columbus, Ohio staying home along with the rest of America, millions across the country spent this Saturday spring cleaning like never before.

Onward, Home Spring Cleaning Projects!

As spring gradually brings in the new weather, windows began to open, carpets were taken outside for dusting…However, this spring cleaning was like no other spring cleaning before:

1. Organization: The amount of indoor time we’ve had has made this spring cleaning bring home organization to a whole new level. Many in Columbus finally got to that garage cleanout, that basement re-organization, dare we even say… THE ATTIC!? Dun, dun, dunnnn…..

2. Deeper Clean: All weekend indoors = a spring cleaning with unprecedented attention to detail, outdoing any previous years of spring cleans. Rugs were shampooed, shelves were dusted, maybe even a refinished surface or two? With this newly found downtime. we hope your home is immaculately clean

3. Sanitized: The bar was truly raised with this year’s spring clean when Dad decided to spray the entire house with disinfectant; dousing levers, soaking doorknobs, swathing bathrooms and wiping the kitchen with 91% isopropyl alcohol.

4. No Distractions: Since the kids had no excuses to get away from the house, this year’s spring clean found the whole family working together. Without plans to meet up, go to a movie or friend’s house, lunch or dinner somewhere else there was simply no escape. The entire family spent Saturday, March 21 SPRING CLEANING!

frog hauling dumpster columbus ohio spring cleaning

Frog Hauling Supports Spring Cleaning in Columbus

When it’s time to clean out the garage, basement, or attic you run into a lot of things that need to get tossed. The perfect, easy accommodation for this is to have Frog Hauling deliver a driveway-friendly dumpster to convenitently haul it all away. Simply toss your junk in. Fill it up, and we take it away.

Columbus Business Spotlight: Columbus Architectural Salvage

Written by Frog Hauling on June 13, 2018. Posted in Central Ohio, Columbus, Dumpster Blog, Green Business, Junk Removal.

Working in Columbus’s junk removal industry, you come across some interesting things. Sometimes, when a home or business is clearing out unwanted items from a building, some truly undiscardable artifacts are discovered.

Architectural and decor items that are unwanted, yet highly sought after. Hard-to-find, yet evidently ubiquitous. Local business, Columbus Architectural Salvage can tell you all about it!

Columbus Vintage Home Items

In Columbus, beautiful antique and vintage home decor items can be rare, yet all around us. A homeowner switches out their old furniture or cabinets. A remodeling company removes old fixtures or architectural features.

Historic, coveted, small and large household items are freeing up all the time, esoterically scattered all throughout the community.

If all these nearly-discarded items are also so very much sought after, wouldn’t it be great if someone would just wrangle it all into one place for people to buy?

Columbus Architectural Salvage

The proprietor of Columbus Architectural Salvage, Chris Sauer knows this very well. Having worked as a self-employed carpenter, Sauer also served six years as the assistant historic preservation officer for the city of Columbus.

Sounds like he knows what he’s doing!

Old house parts, foundry molds, statues, tools, windows, doors, hardware, urns and planters, lighting, chandeliers and lamps, woodwork and metalwork…

At Columbus Architectural Salvage you can find 10,000 square feet of unique, reclaimed house items ranging from the 1840s to the mid-20th century.

Upcycled Home Antiques and Artifacts

All nicely organized, the home decor items at Columbus Architectural Salvage are diverted from landfills and ready for reuse in decorating, renovation, and construction.

The store’s sources are also mainly from within Ohio, making Columbus Architectural Salvage a great treasure trove for authentic Ohio heritage.

Check out the Columbus Architectural Salvage website for more info.

Plogging Movement Making Its Way to Columbus

Written by Frog Hauling on March 12, 2018. Posted in Central Ohio, Clean Up Columbus OH, Columbus, Dumpster Blog, Volunteer, Waste Management.

Columbus needs a plogging group. Rally everyone together on social media for a nice jog – I’ll bring the garbage bags!

What Is Plogging?

To explain, the word plogging is a portmanteau of the Swedish words "jogga" (jog) and "plocka" (pick up). Plogga! Combining fitness and litter removal, plogging is basically picking up litter outdoors while taking part in your choice of exercise.

Biking, hiking, pushing a stroller, canoeing, jogging… whatever the outdoor activity may be, plogging is equal parts exercise and community service. Across the world, plogging events are helping clean up literal tons of trash, keeping communities, trails, and walkways clean and beautiful.

Clean Up While Working Out

With 100 plogging events in just 6 months, the movement started in Sweden with a runner named Erik Ahlström who came up with the idea as a simple solution to address the unhealthy behavior of littering in society.

Now spreading across Europe, plogging is starting to officially pop up around the United States.

Get The Word Out About Plogging

Can we just take a moment to acknowledge that I’m blogging about plogging? Let’s engage people and get the plogging movement going in Columbus and write and document about it everywhere we can and get some events together!

Plogging founder Erik Ahlström recommends social media and plenty of photos.

Hashtag #plogga!

Want to start a plogging group? We’d love to share that information along!

Tell us about it on Our Facebook Page!

Is Your Thrift Store “Donation” Just Unusable Junk?

Written by Frog Hauling on February 22, 2018. Posted in Dumpster Blog, Junk Removal, Waste Management.

Donating to a worthy cause not only feels good but is also doubly… nay, triply rewarding if you’re simultaneously clearing out the clutter in your life in a sustainable way! Unfortunately, the methods of some clean-out culprits are a little questionable as thrift stores such as Goodwill and Salvation Army continuously see the ongoing dumping of junk at their drop-off locations. While it would be a task to discern whether each case is simply ill-informed, neglectful, or downright nihilistic, perhaps some potential donors of detritus could benefit from a few checkpoints regarding their thrift store donation. Is your thrift store “donation” just unusable junk?

Thrift Stores Don’t Benefit From Donations of Garbage

It helps to remember that thrift stores are not dumping sites or repair centers. Especially if dropping the donation off after hours or without anyone around to ask for information. Chances are if the item doesn’t work, then neither will the donation. Remember: thrift stores are trying to use the money made from gently used items for helping the needy.

If they pay to have the unusable junk removed, that money could have gone toward a family’s social services, help with utilities, food, clothing or disaster response. Be good at doing good – Be sure your thrift store donation drop off isn’t simply dumping garbage!

What To Donate To Thrift Stores

New or gently used items such as:

Clothing
Furniture
Housewares and Small Appliances
Electronics, VCR’s, Stereos, Flat-panel HDTVs
Tools
Records, Tapes and CDs
Books, Records, Videos, DVDs and Blu-rays
Toys, Games, and Puzzles
Collectibles and antiques

What Not To Donate To Thrift Stores

While some items are junk, many thrift stores don’t accept certain items for other reasons such as safety or sanitation. Think twice about donating any of these:

Broken televisions
Old tires
Mattresses/box springs
Hazardous waste/materials
Used children’s car seats
Construction remains (i.e. carpet scraps, boards with nails, etc.)
Products recalled by the CPSC
Liquids

The ultimate rule of thumb is to donate what you would give to a friend. If you wouldn’t give the item to a friend, then don’t donate it to the thrift store. If an item is ripped, torn, or broken, think before you drop it off – Especially if you have a lot of it! Hire a professional dumpster service – shameless plug: Give Frog Hauling a call!

Have A Merry “Sustainable” Christmas, Columbus!

Written by Frog Hauling on December 21, 2016. Posted in Dumpster Blog, Uncategorized.

The holidays have arrived! For those of us in the waste management industry, we know this comes along with an increase in waste and recycling.

Waste And Recycling During The Holidays

The EPA reports a 25% increase in waste and recycling volume during the holidays a 25% increase in waste and recycling volume during the holidays. That’s about 1 million extra tons from Thanksgiving through New Year’s Day! From start to finish, the full timeline of the holidays produces more potential for waste than ever: Mailer ads, catalogs, greeting cards, shipping packages, newspapers thicker than ever with additional inserts and ads, boundless amounts of wrapping paper, gift bags and materials… the list could go on forever. Fortunately, it’s easier than ever to have a merry sustainable Christmas in Columbus!

Eco-Friendly Christmas In Columbus

What a great time to remind ourselves what we can do for a more sustainable holiday and a greener-than-ever new year! The holidays offer many opportunities to go green: reusable shopping bags, choosing items made from recycled materials, products with minimal packaging, and recycling or reusing wrapping paper, and other cardboard or paper packaging.

Got a live Christmas tree? Columbus has many places who will compost or mulch your tree when finished with it. Find out where through the Solid Waste Authority of Central Ohio website. As we receive gifts with the latest technologies and replace our old gadgets, it’s also important to remember our impact on electronic waste. Columbus residents can also find their nearest electronics recycling locations on the SWACO’s Recycle Right website.

A Greener New Year For Columbus Ohio And The Great Lakes

Every year, the city of Columbus issues progress reports on their environmental efforts. You can also review the latest strides from the broader Great Lakes region in videos from the Great Lakes Science in Action Symposium.

In a given year, volunteers collect more than 15,000 single-use plastic bags and about 39,000 pounds of trash from the Great Lakes Basin. 2016 is evident with Columbus, Ohio, and the Great Lakes region constantly gaining steam for sustainability! This time of year is also a great time to start new habits. Make your new year’s resolution for a more sustainable New Year! Find out what you can do for a cleaner, healthier, greener community on Columbus, Ohio’s website.

For a Columbus dumpster rental and hauling service that cares, call Frog Hauling at (614) 258-FROG.

Why Use Frog Hauling Mini Dumpsters to Transport My Property?

What is Junk Removal?

Privacy Policy

Terms & Conditions